More Signs of the Bah Humbug Virus

Wow. Not a lot of good news to report here today.

Elves are dropping like flies. Over at Santa’s workshop I saw Elf Bernard send 27 elves home early yesterday.

He walks around the workshop passing out orange juice and taking temperatures. Elf Ringo was busy making a batch of Gak when Elf Bernard pulled him from the line and sent him home.

“I didn’t know I was sick,” Ringo said. “But by the time I got home I had the chills.” Ringo talked to me by telephone. He later went to the North Pole Medical Center and they confirmed that, yes, Ringo has the bug.

In fact, they are becoming faster at seeing the signs of the bug. We are hoping this slows down the spread of it.

But you can tell how it is affecting things.

I went down town at lunch time and all the shops and restaurants are NOT busy. Nobody is out and about.

The Post Office, the Wrapping Department, the Sleigh Bell Department, the Tracking Center, the Reindeer Barn – all are reporting that a number of elves have called out sick for the fourth straight day.

The North Pole was having a great season until this thing happened. If it goes on much longer we’re going to start falling behind.

— Elf Ernest